History of Flight
On April 1, 2010, at about 2337 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172D Skyhawk, registration N2190Y, operated by a private pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain at the Highland County Airport (HOC) in Hillsboro, Ohio. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The exact departure time could not be determined.
About 2230, a witness approximately 3 miles east of HOC observed lights from two airplanes. One appeared about 3/4 mile north-northeast of her location with lights on, turning west toward HOC. She estimated its altitude at 500 feet above ground level and noted nothing unusual except the low altitude. The second airplane was 5 to 10 miles north, heading toward Wilmington or Dayton.
About 2337, a second witness at Rocky Fork State Park, roughly 1/2 mile southeast of HOC, heard an airplane "throttle up" followed by a crash within seconds. He heard no further sounds. He and his wife searched the area by car but saw nothing and later returned to their campsite.
At 0100, the pilot's brother contacted authorities, reporting the pilot had not returned from work and found his truck in the airport parking lot. A search of the fixed base operator's facilities revealed the aircraft was not in the hangar; the hangar door was open and lights were on. The wreckage was located around 0718 the next morning near the Runway 23 threshold.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating and a third-class airman medical certificate issued on October 7, 2008, with a corrective lenses restriction. His flight time logbook was not available. On his most recent medical application, he reported 600 total flight hours, with 50 hours flown within the preceding 6 months. He owned a 1965 Champion 7GCAA Citabria (N9594S) purchased in October 2006, flown 1.6 hours since January 1, 2010, with the most recent entry on February 14, 2010. A flight instructor at HOC reported the pilot passed a flight review on November 23, 2008, in his Citabria. The pilot received flight training from that instructor starting in 2003 and earned his private pilot certificate on April 26, 2004.
Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a 1963 Cessna 172D, serial number 17249690, a four-place, single-engine airplane with tricycle landing gear. It was powered by a 145-horsepower Continental O-300D engine (serial number 27358-D-2-D) and a two-bladed, fixed-pitch McCauley 1C172 propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on October 12, 2009, at a total airframe time of 5,475.6 hours, with no subsequent maintenance log entries. A flight instructor who flew the aircraft earlier that day with another pilot reported no issues. The current owner purchased the aircraft in April 2004; the accident pilot reportedly rented it for flight training and personal flying.
Meteorological Information
The Airborne Airpark (ILN) Automated Surface Observing System, located 19 miles north-northwest of HOC, recorded clear skies at 0054, wind from 200 degrees at 6 knots, 10 miles visibility, temperature 16°C, dew point 7°C, and altimeter 29.94 inches of mercury. Conditions between 2254 on April 1 and 0254 on April 2 included clear skies and southerly winds at 7 knots or less.
Airport Information
The non-towered airport had a single runway (5-23), 3,520 feet long and 75 feet wide, composed of asphalt. Medium-intensity runway lights and a two-light precision approach path indicator (PAPI) for Runway 23 were installed.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The aircraft impacted Runway 23 pavement about 100 feet from the threshold, right of the centerline near the transition to the paved run-up/back taxi turn-out area northwest of the threshold. A depression (crater) in the pavement was present at the impact point. Pavement impressions consistent with wing, propeller, and nose landing gear impact were adjacent to the depression, oriented on an approximate bearing of 264 degrees. A fan-shaped debris field extended about 75 feet from the initial impact, also oriented on 264 degrees.
The main wreckage (propeller, engine, instrument panel, cockpit/cabin seats, and fuselage structure) came to rest within about 20 feet of the impact point. The propeller separated from the engine, and the engine separated from the airframe. The aft fuselage/empennage section separated from the remainder of the fuselage and came to rest inverted about 20 feet from the impact point. The wing assembly and center section of the cockpit/cabin roof separated from the fuselage and came to rest about 60 feet from the initial impact.
The fuselage was fragmented. The wings were crushed aft and fragmented. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers were deformed but appeared intact. Flight controls remained attached; continuity was established from control surfaces to wing root and aft fuselage separation points. The engine crankcase was fractured consistent with impact forces. The forward-left cylinder (#6) separated from the engine; remaining cylinders were deformed but attached. The propeller, with flange attached, separated from the crankshaft. Blades exhibited bending, twisting, and deformation, with leading edge gouges and chordwise scratches.
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on April 3, 2010, at the Montgomery County Coroner's Office noted the cause of death as "multiple blunt force injuries." The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute forensic toxicology report, with samples received 10 days after the autopsy (May 13, 2010), was positive for ethanol in liver, lung, kidney, and muscle tissues. Blood, urine, and vitreous fluid were not available. The report noted "Putrefaction: Yes" regarding sample condition.